Spring Term Dorothea Beale 2026

6202 MRET GNIRPS

Quarterly

ELAEB AEHTOROD ISSUE 3

Welcome to this month’s edition — where curiosity hits top gear!

Buckle up as we dive into the high‑octane world of Formula 1, exploring the innovations that keep the sport on the edge. Then plunge to the depths of our planet as we uncover new ocean discoveries that prove Earth’s final frontier is more mysterious than ever. We’re also zooming in on the hidden patterns that shape nature, art, and even music through the mesmerizing Fibonacci sequence. And, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we shine a spotlight on the trailblazers rewriting the rules, breaking boundaries, and inspiring the next generation. Fast.

Deep. Brilliant. Bold. Let’s get stuck in.

INTRODUCTION Academic Senior Prefect & Sixth Form Captain Academic Dorothea Beale didn’t just care about education – she transformed it. At a time when women’s voices were often ignored, she made hers heard – in classrooms, in print, and through generations of students who followed. As head of Cheltenham Ladies’ College for nearly fifty years (which even now is one of the most prestigious all-girls independent schools in the UK), she raised standards, challenged expectations, and fought to give girls access to a serious, rigorous education – something that was far too rare in her day.

She also went on to found St Hilda’s College, Oxford, in 1893 – a bold move that carved out a space for women at one of the world’s oldest and most respected universities. Until 2008, it remained a women-only college, a lasting symbol of Beale’s commitment to equality in education.

So, in her honour, our Doretha Beale Society and quarterly academic magazine celebrates the same spirit she stood for: curiosity, courage, and a fierce dedication to learning

On behalf of the academic scholars and stars, we hope these pages spark your curiosity and show that academic work doesn’t have to be dull or distant – it’s full of questions worth asking and ideas worth exploring. Maybe something here will inspire you to dive into your own research or look at a subject you thought you knew in a completely different way!

SENNA’S LEGACY, GROSJEAN’S SURVIVAL Why safety is F1's top priority

By A Sladen and K Coombes (Year 9) On May 1st, 1994, Ayrton Senna fatally crashed into the barriers during the San Marino grand prix. It is thought an engine steering failure lead up to his deadly crash into the barrier, but its main cause is unknown.

He was on his seventh lap and was coming into tamburello corner at around 309km/h. He broke hard and downshifted causing him to fly into the barrier at 211 km/h. The impact was violent, and a piece of the car's suspension went through his helmet causing fatal head injuries.

Before the race Senna requested to modify the steering column to provide more space. Italian prosecutors alleged that this modification led to the crash, charging the Williams team with manslaughter.

This fatal crash ended the weekend but was certainly not the start.

On the Friday, Ruben Barichello had a serious accident but survived however later in qualifying Roland Ratzenberger didn't get so lucky and was killed in a crash in qualifying on the Saturday.

The race was carried on after the red flag despite safety concerns and podium celebrations were subdued at the end of it. Even though the halo might not have made a significant difference to the outcome, a modern car would have made the accident survivable as it could have reduced the impact.

The Halo is a strong metal ‘halo shaped’ bar above an F1 driver’s cockpit that protects their heads in crashes. It was invented because drivers were at risk from flying debris and serious accidents such as Romain Grosjean at the 2020 Bahrain GP, where it saved his life.

The front half of the wreckage of Grosjean's car, on display in 2023

On lap 1, going 137mph he made contact with Daniil Kvyat’s front-right wheel which sent his car into a sharp turn and he crashed into the wall. The car pierced the gap between two metal guardrail layers consequently, splitting the car in half. The fuel tank had been damaged, and there was a leak, but Grosjean managed to climb out of the car.

F1 drivers wear six-point harnesses (two shoulders, two hips, two between the legs), and Grosjean had to release them all himself to be able to exit the car. He was able to get out and lift his legs in a semi-crouched position.

His helmet, suit, and gloves gave him 10-15 seconds of protection. He was there for 28 seconds. Once free of the seat and all the belts, he pushed himself over the barrier safe from the flames. Track marshals were already there to help him get out with fire extinguishers to the ready. He walked on his own, despite obtaining minor burns and bruises.

Experts have said in pre-2018 F1 cars, (no halo), his chance of survival was around 20-30%. He lived because of engineering, training, and quick response, not luck alone. This clearly shows how far F1 has come in their safety developments and will hopefully prevent casualties in the years to come.

THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

By M Boardman (Year 11)

What is maths?

Students might say an impossible school subject; Oxford dictionary says ‘the study of shapes and numbers’ however, American mathematician, Arthur Benjamin calls mathematics ‘the science of patterns’. The Fibonacci sequence is a pattern of numbers discovered by Leonardo of Pisa in around 1200 A.D. They can be found in the most unpredictable locations creating logical yet beautiful and natural patterns.

To form the sequence, you start with 1 and 1. These are added together to get the next integer in the series- 1,1,2. This process continues (1+2=3...) to get: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21 etc. It continues forever and is an example of a recursive sequence which means that previous numbers and an equation are used to form the proceeding digit.

But why write about it? Simply, the Fibonacci sequence governs the natural world: from the number of petals on a flower being a number from the list to the spiral of pinecones and hurricanes- even in the arrangement of seed sections in fruit.

Many incredible aspects of nature all around us follow the laws of Fibonacci and most often go unnoticed.

The History of Ocean Exploration

By K Hislop (Year 12) Our oceans and seas have played a key role of connecting worldwide cultures and bringing both prosperity and destruction to people. Humans have been recorded exploring the oceans for around 6000 years. Whether to discover new trade routes and countries, or to gain a better understanding of our place in the world, ocean exploration has always been a crucial part of our history.

Exploration of the Ocean began with ancient civilisations looking for food, beginning to trade locally and expand empires. It was only much later in the 15th century that there became a greater interest for ocean exploration as European powers began to expand their empires overseas.

Trade links were some of the most significant discoveries, due to the economic opportunities they provided. In 1492 Columbus established a route between Europe and the Americas, and in 1498 De Gama found trade routes between Portugal and India.

In 1620, Cornelis Drebbel invented the first submarine, with accounts saying his first prototypes were rowboats covered in watertight leather.

Reconstruction of the Drebbel, Richmond upon Thames. In 2002, the British boatbuilder Mark Edwards built a wooden submarine based on the original version by Drebbel. It was shown in the BBC TV programme ‘Building the Impossible’ in 2002.

In 1868 Sir Charles Wyville Thompson discovered life 4400 meters below the surface, while deep sea dredging on the Challenger expedition. It had previously been believed to be lifeless below 550 metres. Additionally, throughout the voyage over 4500 new species were documented. This expanded our ideas of what there still is for us to find.

In 1960, Piccard and Walsh became the first people to dive to the Mariana trench in the Bathyscaphe Trieste submersible, which was the deepest dive (7 miles down) attempted in human history. Ultimately, what came from this voyage was the knowledge of just how deep we can go and what depths technology can reach.

The bathyscaphe Trieste (designed by Auguste Piccard), the first crewed vehicle to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench

Giant squid have evaded human understanding for decades, with little more evidence for the existence of these creatures than parts found floating on the ocean surface and in the stomachs of sperm whales. They live 200-3000 metres below the surface, possibly deeper, and only around 12 full specimens have been discovered. It was not until 2004 that the first photographic evidence of the squid in its natural habitat was taken. Then, in 2025 the first video of one in their natural habitats was released. Until the last few centuries these squids were only spoken of in myths and stories. They are likely the basis for many sea monster legends over the years.

This is a topic I find interesting because these discoveries make it clear to us that we have only scratched the surface of our understanding of the world, and with an ocean as big as ours, anything could be hiding within it.

International Women’s Day 2026 International Women's Day has been around for over a hundred years, as have many of the issues still impacting women's advancement. Since 1911, IWD belongs to all who care about gender equality, celebrating women's achievements, raising awareness about discrimination and taking action to forge gender parity.

By The Head Girl Team

IWD can mean different things to various groups, yet the broad aims of IWD are to: Celebrate women’s achievements through appreciating the contributions of women in various fields, highlighting their influence and successes throughout history and in the present day.

Raise awareness of gender inequality through shining a light on persistent issues like the gender pay gap, lack of representation in leadership roles, gender-based violence, and unequal access to education and opportunities.

Mobilise action for equality through encouraging individuals, communities, and organizations to take steps toward creating a more inclusive and equal world for women.

Donate and fundraise for women-focused charities, and elevate the visibility of their work.

International Women's Day 2026 theme is 'Give To Gain' The Give To Gain Campaign encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration. Give To Gain emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase; when women thrive, we all rise.

Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women's advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.

We can all give our support to gain advancement for women and girls. As individuals, giving support means calling out stereotypes, challenging discrimination, questioning bias, celebrating women's success, and more. Sharing our knowledge and encouragement with others is also key.

This year, we asked the student body to highlight some inspirational women either known to them, or unknown. On the next two pages, you’ll read about some truly inspirational women, from all walks of life, who deserve to be celebrated in equal measure!

Thank you for all of your responses, and happy International Women’s Day!

International Women’s Day 2026 Jessica Laird - “Malala Yousafzai is an unparalleled role model for International Women's Day, embodying resilience, and advocacy. After surviving a targeted attack for demanding education, she became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, championing girls' rights worldwide. Her unwavering courage against oppression inspires global action for gender equality and education”

Charlotte Jones- “I think Alysa Liu should be the role model form international women's day because she became the first U.S. woman to win a world title since Kimmie Meissner in 2006 and she became the first American woman to win an individual medal since Sasha Cohen in 2006 and also the first American gold medallist since Sarah Hughes in 2002. As a junior in 2015, Liu came in seventh place at the Central Pacific Regionals. At the 2016 U.S. Championships, at 10 years old she became the youngest female skater to earn the intermediate gold medal. She won a competition despite having a cold and sore throat. She also quit skating for a while to take a break for her mental health then when she came back and won a competition. Alysa Liu shows strength, endurance and that anything is possible. That's why I think Alysa Liu should be the role model for international woman's day.”

Alice Brighton - “Keely Hodgkinson because she is an Olympian and can still win a gold medal with a deaf ear, so can’t always hear the start. The reason why she inspires me is because she won a gold medal which is what I want to do one day”

Coralie Hopson - “My role model is Susie wolf. Susie Wolff is a former racing driver who became the first woman in over 20 years to take part in a Formula One race weekend with the Williams F1 Team in 2014. She now leads the F1 Academy, supporting young female drivers.

She is really amazing and I want to change peoples lives as much as she did for thousands of young woman!”

Lyla Walker- “I don't believe I could choose just one, real, fictional, alive, or not. Every woman has made a change to the world even if it has been unrecognised. Some I could think of is: Rosa Parks, as she sat for change, and inspired woman and men to gain their rights, Sarah Chapman, a woman to help campaign and protest for industrial rights, and was the first to make the first change for women by women, Hermione Granger, showing girls that they are allowed to be smart and willful, Enola Holmes, showing females that no matter your circumstances you can always be strong and powerful, Kamala Harris, becoming the first female Vice President of the USA and showing women they can have political power, Michele Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt, Malala Yousofzai, Anne Frank, Maya Angelo, My mum, My grandma, Sophie Cleverly, J.K. Rowling, and so many more, and more to come.”

International Women’s Day 2026 Holly Scraggly- “my inspirational women is Greta Thunberg because from a young age she said to the world one of her issues with the world, climate change. At just 15 years old she starting skipping school on Fridays to make her say. She made such an impact and young people from all over the world joined in, in their country. She brought attention from grown adults and spoke at her first event at the age of 16. One of her quotes are 'you are never to small to make a difference' this can go so far especially to young girls. Her doing this means you don't have to hide your voice, this can mean so much to young girls getting bullied and looked down on by cruel men. This girl Greta Thunberg shows us women and girls that anything is possible and there's no need to be afraid.”

Summer Copeland - “Frida Kahlo was a very brave and creative lady from Mexico. When she was little she got very sick and when she was older she had a really bad bus accident. She was in a lot of pain for the rest of her life. But instead of giving up she started painting. She painted lots of pictures of herself because she said she knew herself best. In her paintings she wore bright dresses and flowers in her hair. She also painted animals and things that showed her feelings like monkeys.

Her paintings are special because they show real emotions not just happy faces. She showed that it is okay to be different and to be yourself”

Lainey Hodgson - “Kamala Harris for breaking historic barriers, great representation, she is authentic and empathetic and supports everyone”

Georgia Collins - “Marie Curie inspires me because she never gave up, even when science was considered a "man's world." She discovered radioactivity, won two Nobel Prizes, and used her work to help save lives. She proved that curiosity, courage, and hard work can change the world.”

Freya Potter - “Some of the reasons I think Amelia Earhart is a extremely inspiring woman is because she was one of the first women tot be come a famous pilot in a time when it was dominated my mainly male pilots. One of the most important factors of why she became so well - know is that she set new world records as she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. This proved that women can be courageous and skillful without the help of men. Amelia challenged stereotypes and showed people that women could achieve great things and adventure equally compared to men. Despite her failure of to complete her mission she left a great legacy inspiring women and girls all around the world to follow their dreams. Amelia has definitely influenced me as I aspire to be as resilient and brave as her.”